good morning. fail iing health. conflicting reports about the health of hosni mubarak as the military begins to transition away from his regime. by their sides -- this family the royal family is porting that prince harry will be best man and kate middleton's sister will be her maid of honor in april. the latest from london. an "eggcelent" arrival. lady gaga makes an arrival at the grammy awards. all the latest today, february

the grammy awards. all the latest today, february 14, 2011. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning. welcome to "today" on a monday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> i'm meredith vieira. the transition of power is moving along in egypt this morning. >> military leaders dissolved parliament and are vowing to have free and fair election this is year. it's a different scene in tahrir square as things get back to normal there. the latest including reports on the health of former president mubarak. we'll talk about it ahead. >> also, congresswoman gabrielle giffords' husband speaks out to nbc's brian williams on the progress she's making including the fact that she's now having conversations. >> and a warning to parents if your kids enjoy energy drinks. a new report suggests they may

pose serious health risks to young adults. we'll tell you what you need to know. >> and a touching love story on this valentine's day. george and barbara bush sit down with jenna bush hager to share the moving love t letters. >> richard engel is in cairo this morning. as we start, i want to ask about one egyptian newspaper that hosni mubarak is very ill. egypt's state news agency says he may be ill, but no coma. what are you hearing. >> reporter: we are hearing everything on the range of the spectr spectrum. we heard he had a stroke, that he was in a coma -- although the government denies that. we have been told he's fine, just in terrible spirits. mubarak is in exile in sharm el sheikh while the army is issuing

sweeping measures over the weekend and the egyptian people are feeling a new sense of empowerment saying the revolution has changed the way they want to express themselves. for the first time since this revolution began, tahrir square is a traffic circle again. the protesters are mostly gone, cleared out by the army. the military has now firmly put itself in control, dissolving the parliament and suspending the constitution. the military says it will only oversee a six-month transition to new democratic elections. egyptians have caught on quickly to the power of what they have done. 30 years of grievances are coming out. today, public bus drivers protested for more money and better health care. journalists protested sunday against their editor in chief, accusing him of picking favorites.

so did employees of a national bank, accusing the ceo of corruption. >> no one will be silenced anymore. we will speak our minds. it is enough. >> reporter: even musicians were out protesting against their union boss. everyone is settling scores. until mubarak was forced out state television showed nothing but government propaganda. this cell phone video shows the employees of the state broadcaster chasing down their news director, until he was hidden in an office by soldiers. perhaps the biggest sign of how different egypt has become is this -- police out protesting, the same police that unsuccessfully tried to crush the democracy movement were protesting themselves for better wages. and they got them. the interior ministry has doubled every low-ranking

policeman's policy. more pay as they try to reinvent a new image. police have been hated because of scenes like this. an undated video shows an officer humiliating a detainee with slaps to the face. as other policemen laugh. today, police held an apology march through cairo saying, sorry, we were just following orders. egyptians are now trying to sort out three decades of grievances and president mubarak, now former president mubarak was in poor health even before he was forced to step down. people say he's now a broken man. >> richard engel from cairo. thank you very much. it's now five after the hour. here's meredith. >> thank you. we have the ambassador to the united states. good morning, sir. >> good morning. >> could we start with the state of health of the former

president mubarak? we hear he may have suffered a stroke, could be in a coma. what can you tell us? >> from an official perspective i have no information related to the ex-president's health. i am following the press releases and rumors. might have received some communication at a personalle level indicating that he is possibly in somewhat of bad health. >> when you say possibly in somewhat of bad health, can you be more specific than that? >> i don't have sufficient information. so i wouldn't like to speculate. >> you have had no personal contact with him whatsoever? >> no, i haven't during these past days. >> the military says it is empowered and promises to hold power only for six months or until elections are held. what assurances can you give to the egyptian people that the military will stay true to its word? >> well, it has indicated on every occasion that its

objective was to protect the revolution and to respond to the demands of the demonstrators. on several occasions during the communiques it's made it clear that its role was temporary, to provide the political platform upon which free and fair elections could be held. they have defined yesterday that the period would be six months and to give an opportunity for the legislative and constitutional reforms they needed tole hold free and fair elections. >> what if the company isn't ready in six months to hold elections? >> this is a matter that i'm sure will be debated and will be a matter of national attention. >> i'm sure a reason people remain skeptical is the caretaker cabinet are all people appointed by former president mubarak. while should they trust these people? >> the nature of the cabinet is a technocattic cabinet comprised

of people with skills in the areas they have been responsible for. it there are indications that it would be a revised or once elections are held it would be -- >> but it is the same people running the show, isn't it? >> partially. there are new faces in the cabinet, ones that were introduced during this last time. many have gained recognition for expertise. >> finally there is an estimated net worth of $2 billion to $3 billion for mubarak. we have heard as high as $70 billion. do you think the government should reclaim the money? >> the government has indicated it will try to reclaim money related to corruption. i believe there are a lot of rumors. let us wait and see what's there in terms of real information.

>> egyptian ambassador, thank you so much. >> thank you. >> here's matt. >> now the latest on gabrielle giffords just over a month after she was shot in the head. her husband spoke with nbc's brian williams and opened up about his wife's remarkable progress. >> the communication is getting better every day. she reported a few days ago that she said a single word and what the word was. you know, since then this has really accelerated. you can have i guess what would be a normal conversation with her on some level. so we do communicate. i talk to her in the morning when i'm there and i talk to her in the evening. >> so if not complete sentences, chains of words, enough so that you are having what you would define as a conversation? >> yes. i can ask a question, she can answer them. you know, the communication is

coming back very quickly. >> that's been an extraordinary recovery all the brain injury experts say no two are alike. they have been compared to snowflakes in their uniqueness. there was no road map to follow regarding her recovery. i guess this is just going to be the pace of her recovery. >> that's true. her neuro surgeon dr. don kim reiterated that she's on a lightning fast trajectory. he's optimistic about, you know, the slope of the curve has a lot to do with how far you're going to get. she's proceeding rapidly. >> in the departments of recovery -- mental and physical -- are you convinced both are coming along on par? >> absolutely. the team here at memorial her mann is doing an incredible job. she spends most of her day in rehab and she's working hard. the progress in all areas has been very good. >> i keep hearing, captain, that

your wife's appearance is coming back to normal so that a glint in her eye that you would recognize, facial expressions, things like that, much easier to detect which makes communication easier. >> oh, absolutely. all that stuff is 100%. i mean, she's in a great mood. she's always a very upbeat and positive person. you know, it's humbling and just interesting for me to watch her go through this. she continues to be an incredibly positive person and just really works really, really hard and understands how important this is. she's really putting everything she has into it. >> you have become an expert at counting your blessings, i presume. >> i have been. also an expert at appreciating other people, how much they are praying for, how much they care about her and the incredible support we are getting. >> this is stunning news that

you two are having what would have to be called conversations. by no means do i want to pry into your relationship, but give me an example of a sentence she has spoken in the last 24 hours. >> well, shele eel p-- she'll pt together small sentences with regard to dinner or daily living. or if i ask her a question, the speech therapist was saying to me that a few days ago she was having to get gabby to speak more. now she's trying to get her to slow down and make sure she hears the question first before giving the answer. as an example of that, you know, there were three cards laying on the table, one with a picture of president bush, president obama, president joeshgeorge washingto. before she was asked a question she'd pick up the card and held it up and said george bush. so she's a hard worker and she's

trying. she's speaking a lot and at some level they are asking her to slow down a little bit. >> of course you can see more of brian's interview with mark kelly tonight on nbc "nightly news." here's meredith. >> matt, thank you very much. now to news on the royal wedding of prince william and kate middleton. the office of prince charles revealed new details about the wedding party. peter alexander is in london with the latest. good morning to you. >> reporter: meredith, good morning to you. this news is being released within the last 30 minutes or so. prince william and kate middleton now making it official who will be standing by their sides at the royal wedding two and a half months away, april 29. not surprisingly, william has asked his brother prince harry to be his best man. kate announcing her maid of honor will be her younger sister pippa. she's 26. she will be one of the oldest royal bridesmaids in recent times. her primary responsibility is a doozy. to make sure the dress is

displayed perfectly. remember the fact that diana's train was 25 feet long. that's no easy task. her other responsibility is to make sure the younger bridesmaid and page boys behave themselves. think of it as babysitting with several billion people watching. the oldest bridesmaid will be just 8 years old and there are 3-year-olds in the mix. among them prince edward's daughter lady louise, the queen's youngest granddaughter. louise has a condition that affects her eyes. the palace says she's beside herself with excitement to be included. traditionally the best man looks after the rings but prince harry won't have to worry about it. in royal weddings the rings are kept at the palace under strict security by royal guard. even the red velvet cushion isn't his responsibility. should be easy for him to stand

by his brother and smile. >> the men don't have to do anything. >> let's get a check on the top stories with ann at the news desk. >> good morning to you this morning. in the news, president obama proposes more than $1 trillion in deficit cuts to congress today. chuck todd is at the white house with more on this. this is going to be difficult. good morning. >> reporter: it is going to be difficult. if republicans in the white house agree about one message from the november 2010 elections it was about the fact that republicans got control of the house, thanks to the issue of the scope and size of government. the white house joins the battle today with the unveiling of what is a $3.7 trillion budget for the year of 2012. that attempt to cut the deficit by over $1 trillion, it gets paid for in two ways, ann. two-thirds of the cuts come from spending programs that are eliminated or shrunk including popular ones like subsidies for lower income americans for heating and oil and no more pell

grants for college students during summer school. the other third comes in the form of tax hikes including capping itemized deduction for charitable giving for wealthy americans. remember, this is an opening bid. this will be the battle in washington for the next six months, ann. >> chuck todd, thanks for the warning. also a suicide bombing hit a hotel and shopping center in kabul, afghanistan this morning. at least two police officers killed and two wounded. the man suspected in a 28-hour stabbing spree in new york city appears in court today. 23-year-old maksim gelman killed four people and slashed five others before he was apprehended on a subway car. sunday outside a brooklyn courthouse he shouted that he was set up. boeing unveiled the largest plane yet this weekend. the 747 carries 467 passengers and has improved fuel

efficiency. only two airlines have ordered the new jet. now to wall street and melissa francis at the new york stock exchange. good morning. >> good morning. shares are moving higher as details of the budget emerge. traders view it as neutral for knew. asia higher as well. shanghai up 2.5%. nokia slammed on news of a partnership with microsoft to deliver software and we are watching apple as reports emerge that it is developing an iphone that's half the size and half the price. back to you. >> melissa, thank you so much. the u.s. state department has a farsi language twitter feet to connect with iranians. today is a day of protest in support of the egyptian people. they have banned anti-government demonstrations and media were barred from the streets. a little bit of love advice on valentine's day from the first couple. first lady michelle obama admits she doesn't make a big deal out

of the holiday but says the key to a healthy marriage is laughter. she did hint that jewelry from the president would be welcome. she also said, quote, you've got to keep the romance alive, even in the white house. maybe tmi there. let's go back to meredith, matt and al. >> laughter, good advice. >> jewelry, that's good advice, too. >> hand in hand. mr

>> a heart warming forecast for you. warming to near 60 degrees. right now it's chilly, we're in the 40s and the winds are beginning to increase gusting up to around 20 miles an hour. sun's up, we'll have quite a bit of sun today. but those winds will be the story, after near 60 by early afternoon the winds increase, gusting over 50 miles an hour later this afternoon into this evening. that may cause scattered isolated power outages. tomorrow 20s in the and that's your latest weather. meredith? >> al, thank you. now to more on the power shift in egypt. what happened there having a ripple effect on the region. ann has that part of the story. >> these right. over the weekend president obama and hillary clinton worked the phones to ensure u.s. allies. with admiral mike mullen traveling to jordan to do that. this as the impact of the egyptian revolution spreads. the earthquake of egypt's

revolution from tahrir square in revolution in tunisia has the entire region in tremors. in algeria, young people called on their president to resign saturday, to sign a government ban on protests. an estimated 400 people were arrested but the opposition vowed demonstrations until it brings down the regime. in yemen sunday, violent clashes between riot police and anti-government protesters trying to reach the capital of sana's. yemen has seen a sharp increase in islamic fundamentalism and is home to one of the most protent branches of al qaeda. in jordan, a key u.s. ally, thousands filled the streets demanding democratic and economic reform. so far, not the overthrow of the king. jordan, syria, kuwait and

bahrain have all called for reforms or financial subsidies to appease citizens. in the palestinian territory saturday, leaders suddenly set presidential and parliamentary elections by september in the west bank and the hamas-controlled gaza strip. there spontaneous celebrations erupted immediately after revolutions and reached all the way to the southern edge of the arab world to the capitol of sudan. no signs the ripple effect won't reach saudi arabia sitting on 25% of the world's oil reserves and where a doquarter of the country's youth is unemployed. in egypt, twitter hash tags called supporters to gather in iran despite the government ban and in bahrain where injuries are being supported today. on february 17 in libya february

19. february 20 in mo rocco and march 8 in kuwait. whether any other country will face the same threat as tunisia and egypt we have no way of knowing. we know the push for democracy is ignited and what seemed impossible will be a matter of time. >> ann, thank you very much. just ahead, was she intentionally provoked? new information on a tiger attack that ended in the death of a 17-year-old boy. first, this is "today" on nbc.

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good morning. it's 7:26 on this monday, the 14th of february. valentine's day. i'm joe krebs. in the news this morning one suspect is dead, another injured after a shoot-out with police. offered arrived at the a reported home invasion, they surrounded the home and say the suspects ran out shooting at them. that's when officers returned fire a. third person is also in custody. >> we'll take a break now, come back and look at the weather forecast and the traffic. ♪

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which is why not all luxury vehicles are created equal. the hard way means never taking short cuts. the hard way is how lexus inspires absolute confidence. this is the pursuit of perfection. see what it takes at lexus.com/thehardway. >> good morning. temperatures in the 40s now with sunshine and later today climbing to near 60. then a gusty northwest wind. that may peak over 50 miles an hour that may cause power out e outages, then colder tonight. 20s tomorrow. mid-40s and warming up after that. how's traffic? >> for the most part manageable. usual delays along 270. as you head down after old georgetown road to get on the inner loop the sunshine is going to slow you down. keep that in mind. speaking of sunshine, 66 several spots heavy and slow as you head east to the capital beltway, travel lanes are open both ways

at the wilson bridge. watch for the sunshine. make sure you got your sunglasses. >> thanks, joe. join us tomorrow morn forge "news4 today" beginning at 4:30.

7:30 now on valentine's day, monday morning, february 14, 2011. maybe it is the love birds heating things up on the plaza. we could be headed into the 50s in new york for the first time in months. that sounds so good. i'm meredith vieira alongside matt lauer. just ahead, a complete wrap of last night's grammy awards from lady gaga's arrival in a giant egg to mick jagger's grammy debut and other big surprises. >> hard to imagine mick jagger for all of the longevity he's enjoyed. anyway, also ahead do your kids enjoy energy drinks? they are popular but a new

article from the american academy of pediatrics suggest they could put some children at risk for serious adverse health effects. details coming up. >> plus on this valentine's day the forgotten art of the love letter. former president george h.w. bush and his wife barbara share the touching hand written notes they have been writing for 60 years. their grand daughter jenna bush hager will have the story. let us begin with the outfits and performances from the 53rd annual grammy awards. ♪ >> reporter: music's biggest night brought out its biggest stars. but the biggest buzz on the red carpet surrounded lady gaga who arrived inside -- well, a giant egg. the 53rd annual grammy awards got under way with a tribute to the recovering queen of soul, aretha franklin. ♪

>> i wish that i could have been with you all tonight. but since i couldn't, next year, okay? >> reporter: it was a night of rare performances from music royalty like bob dylan and barbra streisand. ♪ >> reporter: to rolling stone's front man mick jagger gracing the grammy stage for the first time in his career. ♪ >> reporter: teen idol justin bieber joined his mentor usher on stage. ♪ >> reporter: and pop princess katy perry performed her runaway hit. ♪ >> reporter: perhaps the most colorful performance of the night, cee-lo green joined by

gwyneth paltrow performing a pg version of the foul-mouthed hit. ♪ >> and the grammy goes to lady ante bellum. >> reporter: the country trio led the way with three grammys including song of the year. ♪ it's a quarter after one ♪ i'm all alone and i need you now ♪ >> reporter: indy rock band arcade fire in a surprise twist won the biggest award of the night, album of the year. lady gaga eventually came out of herschel performing her newest single. ♪ baby i was born this way >> reporter: she took home three

grammys including best pop vocal album. do you have a favorite moment? >> i can't believe justin bieber didn't win new artist of the year. >> i know. after all he's done. >> after all we did for him. i can't believe it. >> i loved when he was dancing with jaden smith. that kid's great. watching the parents, i don't know if we have it. watching their son it was like any parent at their kid's recital. they were so proud. it was very cute. >> meanwhile, lady antebellum, song of the year and record of the year. we pushed them over the top clearly. >> you're trying to take credit. >> i never heard of arcade fire. i have to download, start getting busy. >> i haven't either. i thought it was interesting that cee-lo green wore your outfit so well. >> always colorful. >> now a check of the weather from al. >> i think

>> good morning. here a brief spring fling here for this valentine's day. we'll be up near 60 for a brief time, by early to mid afternoon.

and we'll have a strong cold front coming in that will shift the winds into the northwest with gusty winds, in fact, over 50 miles an hour from time the time this afternoon. that may cause scattered power outages and turning colder tonight, 20s tomorrow morning, sunny, high just mid-40s tomorrow. warming up after that wednesday and thursday. and that's your latest weather, matt? >> thank you very much. now new details on a deadly tiger attack at the san francisco zoo that killed a 17-year-old boy and injured two others in 2007. nbc's miguel almaguer has the latest on this. good morning to you. >> reporter: matt, good morning. christmas day 2007, san francisco police received the first 911 call. a tiger at the zoo was on the loose attacking visitors. now in documents just released to the associated press they say the tiger was probably provoked. the tiger attack left 17-year-old carlos sousa, jr.,

dead. his two friends were injured. when police arrived at the san francisco zoo tatiana, a 250-pound cat was mauling one of the brothers. officers opened fire, killing the tiger in a hail of bullets. in documents just released, investigators say there are signs she was provoked. some sticks, foreign to the exhibit and at least one pinecone inside the tiger exhibit indicating that someone may have thrown these items into the enclosure at the tigers. >> the tiger was provoked although i was not there. but i believe for a tiger to react in such a violent explosion of energy something had to have driven it to do that. >> reporter: in fact, a draft of the report shows an animal expert believes the tiger was provoked, but that line was removed from the final report because federal investigators were only charged with finding out how the tiger escaped, not

why. the brothers have always denied provoking the tiger but sousa's father said one of the brothers was drunk that day and may have yelled and waved at the tiger. there were no witnesses but the report says the tiger leapt out of the exhibit, jumping from the bottom of the dry mote at to th top of the enclosure leaving behind claw marks as she pulled herself out. sousa was killed first. tatiana stayed with him before following the brothers' blood trail for 300 yards, passing other animals along the way, leaving behind claw prints in the asphalt. newly released photos show the blood-stained cement. >> a tiger is a predator. it does have the quick predator

response. something has had to make it feel that whatever was tormenting it, it can get. >> reporter: the zoo settled a wrongful death lawsuit for an undisclosed amount and paid the daliwals. the zoo was fined $2,000. the report says the wall on the 65-year-old exhibit was almost three feet too short. the zoo has made the wall higher since. a zoo spokesman said tatiana was able to jump out which led to a series of renovations to the exhibit which makes sure this will never happen again. 350 pages of documents released is a comprehensive look at the incident. the tiger exhibit re-opened in january of 2008. >> all right, miguel. thank you very much. miguel almaguer in los angeles today. michael cardoza is the attorney

for the family of the 17-year-old who was killed. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> have you shared this information with the sousa family, the new information about the possible provoking of the tiger? and if so what is their reaction? >> their reaction is shock and certainly it brings them back to having to relive this. but what they are most upset with is the speculation that the boys, at least the daliwal brothers must have provoked the tiger simply by waving their arms. that's certainly no excuse that the zoo should use to allow that tiger out of the enclosure. >> well, they are not saying that it was only by waving arms. they are talking about items found within the enclosure -- a stick, a pine cone -- that wouldn't normally be there, and suggesting that possibly the three young men threw those things into the tiger's enclosure in an attempt to taunt her. >> well, see, that's nothing but mere speculation.

those things are in other enclosures in the zoo. they were there before in this particular instance that alleged expert is saying, well i assume they may have done that. i'm speculating they may have done that. and then the tiger, matt, gets out of the enclosure and goes after the boys. keep in mind that carlos, jr., stepped in front of the daliwal brothers to try to save them. but what jumps out to me is if the tiger was provoked then why later did it go after the police officer that was there? certainly the police officer didn't provoke that tiger. what explanation do they have for that? >> i know your clients settled the wrongful death suit a while ago and they are not allowed to disclose the terms of the settlement. in your opinion, in their opinion do they feel the zoo and the city stepped up? did they do the right thing in the wake of the tragedy? >> the zoo did step up to the plate. they were most concerned first that this should never happen

again. the zoo did take care of the enclosure. as far as the settlement goes they were satisfied with that. keep in mind they lost a son and every year at christmas it brings it back full tilt to them. they have to go back through it. for anybody who's lost a child they know what the sousas are going through. >> thanks for your time this morning. >> you're welcome. >> up next, a new report on the potential harm that energy drinks could pose to your kids. but first these messages. an ] i had this deep, radiating pain everywhere... and i wondered what it was. i found out that connected to our muscles are nerves that send messages through the body. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia, thought to be the result of overactive nerves that cause chronic, widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. and less pain means i can do more with the ones i love. [ female announcer ] lyrica is not for everyone. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions

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i'm loving weight watchers new pointsplus program and the edge it's giving me. ♪ it's a new dawn, a new day i've got even more control now. ♪ and i'm feeling good go on, join for free. weight watchers new pointsplus. because it works. this morning on "today's health," are energy drinks harmful to kids? the american academy of pediatric has a report looking at dangers adolescents could face drinking the drinks. nancy snyderman is here with details. >> hi, meredith. >> the article looks at the possible effects on children, adolescents and young adults. >> right. >> it takes to issues whether they are dietary supplements and says they are not. so this is a lead article in the journal of pediatrics that says, buyer beware.

there is a real concern that more kids are taking these. it's a big portion of the soft drink, if you will, industry. for certain children, children with cardiovascular disease, children with diabetes, some children who may be taking neuro psychiatric medications, that the stimulants and additives in these can affect any of the children who may have this. really right now they are cutting out that group of children, but what they are saying also is we don't know the effect on otherwise healthy children because there are no standards for what are safe amounts and what are not. >> we are talking about the amount of caffeine in the drinks? >> the amount of caffeine is the number one issue. but then if you laundry list the number of things on the labels, most of us have never heard of them. things like guanine, taurine, car carn

carnitine. some are stimulants and you have to flip the can over and read what's in it. you and i may be concerned about the amount of caffeine our kids already have, but there are other things that can add as extra stimulants and can make it a bigger deal. >> some of those ingredients have caffeine as well, but that's not listed on the label. >> correct. so there is a layered-on effect of these elements. >> because it is not a food, the fda can't regulate how much caffeine is in here. >> it's a slippery slope. they are marketed as dietary supplements. so that will get them out of the fda coverage aspect. most people see them as soft drinks, so the fda loosely watches them. i think it's a black hole of what the fda doesn't have enough punch to govern. it's pitted pediatricians, the beverage association, people who market them and people who consume them all at various points around the whole conversation.

>> let's bring in the beverage association. the article claims 30 to 50% of adolescents consume the energy drinks. the aba says children and teens aren't large consumers saying total caffeine consumption among preteens is nearly zero and caffeine consumption for energy drinks for children and teens on average is far less than even one can of an energy drink per day. >> here's where you have to say the pediatricians and aba have soft numbers. we don't know the number of preteens who pick one of these up at the checkout counter and take them. the caffeine issue is for real. most will have about equivalent to maybe -- >> eight ounces of coffee, right? >> or some of them can have five times the amount of a soft drink, so if you look at this, you will see that the amount of caffeine in an energy drink will be 70 milligrams and a cup of coffee may be the same.

but do you want your kids at 10:00 at night to have the amount of caffeine that you or i would have in the morning? a lot of kids will have these multitude of times and some teenagers and college kids are taking these and mixing them with alcohol because they like the taste. we have had this conversation before that mixing caffeine and alcohol together is not smart. >> word a parents? >> have this conversation. i mean, i had this conversation with my 16-year-old son charlie last weekend. this is the real deal. this is like taking high octane whatever. it doesn't give you necessarily energy, but it makes you jittery, gives you a caffeine hit and turn that label over. be a smart consumer and figure out what this stuff is. if you have a child in any of those problem groups that's a conversation you need to have today. >> all right. dr. nancy snyderman, thank you very much. >> you bet. >> still ahead, more of the

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good morning. we have 50 degrees at 7:56 on this monday t 14th of february. good morning. i'm joe krebs. in the news, in a few minutes at 8:00 the ramps from telegraph to the outer loop will be closed until 4:00 p.m. crews will shut down the ramps through thursday every day through thursday, to work on the wilson bridge project. you are urged to avoid the area completely. the number of parking spaces near the potomac mills mall is reduced. starting today there are 275 spaces that's down from about 1,000. the mall took the spaces back as it gets ready to expand. we'll take a break and look at our weather and traffic for this monday.

>> good morning. partly cloudy now, we're in the 40s, later today around 60 by early afternoon so a rapid warm-up, then strong gusty winds out of the southwest shifting into the northwest, maybe over 50 miles an hour. that may cause scattered power

outages and much colder tonight in the 20s tomorrow morning. afternoon highs tuesday, the mid 40s. then warming up again wednesday into friday. how's traffic? >> some of the slowest traffic now is through southeast washington, right here southern parkway, south capital street, pennsylvania avenue and 295. the problem had been an accident on the outbound 14th street bridge. 395 northbound, the delays begin around the pentagon across the inbound 14th street bridge. we'll be watching throughout the day all that construction on the beltway around telegraph. joe? >> thanks. another update in 25 minutes. join us tomorrow for all of the news, weather and traffic, we begin ♪ come and cuddle by the fire in the evening ♪ ♪ we'll forget about the snow and rain ♪ ♪ while the skies are storming ♪ your arms will warm me ♪ it's winter again ♪ it's so thrilling when it's chilly in the winter ♪ ♪ and the frost is on the window pane ♪

♪ hear the sleigh bells ringing ♪ ♪ my heart is singing [ female announcer ] don't you just love february? why not get away on a cruise from baltimore? book today at royalcaribbean.com. we're back now. 8:00 on monday morning, the 14th day of february 2011. a pretty shot from the top of the rock here in rockefeller center looking out over still a snow-covered central park. i understand we have had snow cover in central park for something like 50 days in a row now. but temperatures have moderated in new york city just in time for valentine's day. out on the plaza, i'm matt lauer along with meredith vieira and al roker. and a lot of nice people who are celebrating valentine's day with us. we thank them for that. coming up, just when you thought the art of writing a beautiful love letter was lost, jenna bush

hager share as great story with us. her grandparents share their love letters they wrote to each other over the years and it's a great way to remind us that there is still so much power in the written word. >> they are the sweetest couple. >> they really are. >> speaking of letters, a little girl in our crowd wrote this to us. people of the today show, happy valentine's day from your biggest fan. isn't that nice? >> thank you, delaney. >> happy valentine's day to you, honey. remember caroline and sean savage? >> i do. >> she gave birth to another couple's baby after a mix-up with the em bre owe. we'll talk about what their relationship is like now and with their child logan. >> and with more of your revealing and emotional interview with janet jackson. she'll be talking more about the bond with her brother michael. the new man in her life and it's hard to believe. why she hated her smile growing

up. >> she's a lovely lady. >> let's go inside. ann's at the news desk with the morning headlines. >> thanks, matt. good morning, everybody. egypt's military leaders are consolidating powers after ousting president mubarak. they are promising democratic elections in six months after suspending the constitution over the weekend. meantime egypt's ambassador to the united states said on this broadcast he has no official comment on report that is mubarak is in failing health. switzerland says it's frozen whatever assets mubarak and associates have in that country. watch dog groups and private lawyers are demanding the chief prosecutor investigate mubarak's multi billion dollar fortune and whether he amassed it through corruption. meantime the chairman of the u.s. joint chiefs of staffs mike mullen met president perez. he's on a visit to ensure u.s.

support as the middle east remains in flux. a terror trial started today for indonesia's best known radical islamist leader. he's accused of starting a group that plotted attacks on foreigners. the husband of gabrielle giffords told nbc brian williams in an exclusive interview that his wife is now able to hold simple conversations. and the new york times is reporting that she's now using a walker. los angeles health officials are investigating a reported outbreak of illness after a party last week at the playboy mansion. four people were reportedly diagnosed with a milder form of legionnaire's disease. about a hundred guests came down with fevers, headaches and breathing problems. is being single on valentine's day stresses you out, try looking for love 450 feet in the air. a group of australian singles held a speed dating get-together high atop a famous sydney harbor

bridge. that's pressure. it's 8:03. now back outside to matt and

>> we're going to have strong gusty winds for this valentine's day. right now we're in the 40s, later today around 60 by eshl afternoon and we'll have gusty winds perhaps over 50 miles an hour from time to time later this afternoon, overnight out of the northwest. that may trigger some scattered isolated power outages, colder tonight, in the upper 20s tomorrow morning and cold tomorrow in the morning but warming into the mid-40s during

the afternoon. even warmer wednesday, thursday and friday. >> and happy anniversary. your second. >> yes, it is. >> very nice. back to matt. >> coming up, the couple that had to give up their baby after a shocking mix-up at a fertility clinic. we'll find out how they are doing oh after these messages. who says credit card rewards can't be simple? i mean they're rewards, right? right? right. with the bankamericard cash rewards™ credit card... i get 1% cash back on every purchase.

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the aftermath of a medical mistake. like many couples, the savidges used medical help to expand their family. we'll talk to them in a moment but first their story. it all began with a promise car line and sean made to themselves. >> we discussed before we underwent our very first ivf that we would give every embryo we created a chance at life. >> reporter: their third attempt at the procedure resulted in the birth of their daughter mary kate in 2008. a little sister for brothers ryan and drew. in february, 2009 caroline returned to have some of the remaining embryoees transferred into her. sean heard from the clinic and was forced to relay devastating news to his wife. >> i said the doctor called, really bad news. you're pregnant.

they transferred the wrong embryos. >> i literally couldn't breathe. i just -- it was just a stunning, stunning moment. >> what's going through your mind at that point? >> that there was clearly no way out. i'm pregnant. there's a baby growing in me, it's somebody else's. what are we going to do? >> reporter: they made the decision to move forward with the pregnancy, one that because of her health would be her last. but in their hearts they knew the baby she was carrying belonged to another couple -- paul and shannon who were also patients at the same fertility clinic. >> we knew that we had somebody's very, very wanted child. i just couldn't see taking that away from another mother. there's just no way. >> reporter: the pregnancy maeld news around the world and resulted in the birth of a healthy boy, logan savage morel.

>> the time we spent with him was great. >> after the baby was born, you delivered the baby to shannon and paul. it was you who brought the baby to them. >> it was a beautiful moment. but at the same time really difficult. >> carolyn and sean are with us. the new book is called " "inconceivab "inconceivable." good morning to you both. >> good morning. >> i have had the chance to talk with you several times along the journey. viewers have been impressed with your strength and faith. also keenly aware of how painful this has been for you both. was writing the book at all an attempt to provide closure? >> i wouldn't say so much closure, but i would say that it was a very therapeutic, cathartic experience. we were advised when we considered taking on the writing of a book that it might be kind

of hard to relive some of the memories, but as we were doing it, i think it was so -- it's such a stress relief to go back through and relive those moments and realize that we are stronger, better people for what we have been through. >> talk about stress. you were diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder following this. not post partum. >> yeah. that took my breath away a little bit. i expected to have post partum depression issues, but when i met with the counselor after logan was born and we rehashed everything, she thought it was a more appropriate diagnosis. it took us by surprise because you always pictured that diagnosis going to people who have been the victim of violent crimes or veterans of, you know, war. but as she explained what post

traumatic stress disorder is i thought it was an appropriate diagnosis. >> yeah. >> her treatment helped us. >> what the public didn't know was that while carolyn was pregnant you did have embryos left. you implanted embryos into her. she got pregnant and miscarried eight days after logan was born, so you went through a second loss. >> it was devastating. we didn't have much left in us. those eight days following tl i delivery it was like -- i considered it almost like a boxer on the ropes and you're kind of just getting. up from something and you get that final blow. it was tough. but we got over it. >> you tried again with her and that pregnancy didn't take. >> correct. >> are there any embryos left at this point? >> no. not from the original five embryos we were attempting to use for the transfer in 2009 have been exhausted.

>> have you made a decision not to attempt to harvest other embryos or do you know? >> we still have hope. we're not giving up. as we look forward we certainly would welcome more children if that was something that would come about. >> we're leaving our options open. one way or another our family may grow. but if it doesn't i think we are perfectly happy with the way our family is now. >> you did have a settlement with the clinic and part of it was that you were not going to reveal the name of the clinic or the doctor and they were going to reveal exactly what happened. in a nutshell it was a clerical area? >> they received the order to thaw and he pulled the sheet for the morells out of a binder instead of ours. pulled their embryos and put our information with their embryos.

from there it wasn't checked. it was incredible how it was discovered. >> yeah. there was a discrepancy of my birth date. so a couple weeks prior to me finding out i was pregnant they realized the error and let us know. >> you have forgiven the doctor, i know that. >> yeah. we care deeply for him. he does great work. families are built every day through those practices. forgiveness is important for us. >> i know you have seen logan a couple of times. your hope in the future is to see him as often as you can? good relationship with the family? >> yeah. >> if we can get a glimpse every once in a while that's what we  are hoping for. if not, we are pleased with what we have done. we harbored him into this world. >> it's a proud moment for us. he'll always be our baby. he's their son.

>> thank you so much. we'll be right back after this. . i feel like i have to wind myself up just to get out of bed. then, well, i have to keep winding myself up to deal with the sadness, the loss of interest, trouble concentrating, the lack of energy. [ male announcer ] if depression is taking so much out of you, ask your doctor about pristiq.

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correspondent jenna bush hagger is here with that interesting question. >> these days twitter, e-mail and text are the only ways to say i love you. as children my sister and i found boxes of love letters in my grandparents houses. they are so precious to the family. so i decided to turn to the experts to see what my generation is missing. >> december 12, 1943. my darling bar, this should be a very easy letter to write. >> reporter: my grandparents have been writing love letters to each other for more than 60 years. >> i love you, precious, with all my heart. to know that you love me means my life. >> reporter: they are precious letters filled with romance, longing and promise. like many of the generation the letters were a part of the courtship and their only connection while separated by war. how important were the letters while you were overseas? >> those days we didn't have all

the internet and telephones. we had telephones but not to talk in the fleet. letters were everything. you waited for mail call. the guy to come on the deck and say, mail, bush! it was wonderful. >> reporter: though my grandma wrote often her letters were lost at sea. on september 2, 1944, my grandfather's plane was shot down. he was saved but the letters were not. >> when he was shot down, i got a letter all was well. >> what was wrong with that? >> well, i got a letter saying you were well, but you had written it before you were shot down. >> reporter: 66 years after they were married, mail call is more like a text message beep. or an e-mail alert. an i lo yve you looks like this. has modern technology killed romance? love letters were around long br my grandparents got romantic notions.

beethoven wrote beautiful music and love letters to his im mmorl beloved. churchill penned racy letters to his wife. my fwrand ma jenna welsh also wrote to her husband at war. there was a letter he saved we found 13 years after he died. >> hello, pretty little gal, i'd certainly like to be with you now. the orange reflection against the sky and the rain coming down makes me feel like if i was with you nothing else would matter. >> reporter: my grandfather shipped off for war three weeks after they married. >> it is terrible to love someone like i love you and can't be with you. >> reporter: do you like re-reading the letters? >> yeah. >> reporter: she would live for his letters and she would live for her picture. >> can you believe he took a picture like that? >> well, it's not bad. >> reporter: no, it'sbeautiful.

but in the bathtub! sexy photo. these letters are an archive of love and a remainder of a time when simple gestures brought and kept a couple together. >> good night, my beautiful. every time i say "beautiful" you about kill me but you'll have to accept it. >> reporter: why would she kill you when you called her beautiful? >> she's modest. >> reporter: you were beautiful. we have your engagement picture. >> not bad now. >> if you like wrinkles. lucky now. >> wrinkledstiltskin. >> reporter: love letters were a part of my grandparents' lives, a beautiful part of their personal history. without the letters there wouldn't be moments like these. >> january 6, 1994, for barbara pierce from g.h.w.b., will you

marry me? oh, i forgot. you did that 49 years ago. i'm even happier today. you have given me joy few men know. i have climbed perhaps the highest mountain in the world. that can't hold a candle to being barbara's husband. mom used to tell me, now, george, don't walk ahead. >> you never listened to your mother. >> little did i know i was only trying to keep up with bar. barbara pierce from onondaga street in new york. i love you. >> oh, i love you, too. >> why are we such cryers? >> you could be speaker of the house. >> i know. >> reporter: on their 66th valentine's day together a simple celebration. >> i'm going to ask her if she will be my valentine. i do that every four, five years. she's agreed she will be.

>> reporter: will you write her a letter? >> i don't think i will this year. >> i'll be with him. >> reporter: there's no need to write. >> if i wrote a letter today, i would write the same letter. i love him that much. >> my advice on this valentine's day, write a love letter or at least save your e-mails. >> get some tissues! jenna, that's such a great reminder of the power of the written word. hats off to your grandparents for letting you share those letters because they are so personal. >> exactly. my grandfather said he loves to write e-mails but said it doesn't have the same romantic, therapeutic feel as sitting down with a pen and paper. >> your grandfather is one of the great letter writers. i remember your dad reading some of the letters he wrote to him. >> let's all write some love letters. >> happy valentine's day. >> happy valentine's day. >> we'll be right back after your local news.

>> 8:26 is your time. good morning. i'm eun yang. new details about a deadly shootout involving police in northeast d.c., this started last night at a home near 12th and irving street. a group of college students was having a party when there was a robbery. when police arrived several suspects ran outside shooting at them. that's when officers returned fire. one suspect was killed and another injured. a quick break and your weather a quick break and your weather and traffic when we come back. forty years ago, he wasn't worried about retirement. he'd yet to hear of mutual funds, iras, or annuities. back then, he had something more important to do. he wasn't focused on his future

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>> good morning. right now we have sunshine, temperatures are near 50 degrees. and later today i'll be up around 60 by early afternoon, been strong gusty winds that may increase, gusts over 50 miles an hour may cause scattered power outages. much colder tonight into tomorrow. >> a live look at this hour along i-270 at gaithersburg word of an accident, 270 southbound near shady grove road.

backed up along 29. inner loop crawling, springfield up to 66 with the lanes open. >> thanks, jerry. another update for you in 25

♪ 8:30 on this monday morning, february 14, 2011. it is valentine's day. we have a special treat for the love birds who gathered in rockefeller plaza. a little romantic music from josh grobin. he'll perform for us live just ahead. he always brings tears to my eyes. he's a beautiful singer.

why are you giving me that look? >> between president bush's letters and josh grobin singing -- >> i know. >> that was so nice. speaking of superstars we'll have more of the interview with

>> good morning. it's around 50 degrees already and should climb to around 60 by early afternoon. we'll have a few clouds in and out, the front will come through and will trigger strong gusty winds. shifting into the northwest later this afternoon and gusting over 50 miles an hour. that may cause isolated power

outages and much colder tonight. 20s tomorrow morningment afternoon highs mid-40s tomorrow. mid-50s wednesday afternoon. may hit near 60 thursday, perhaps warmer on friday. and on this valentine's day, check your sweetie's weather day or night on the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. everybody's sweetie, uncle willard scott. >> hey, i'm glad you can join us. we have a party in here. good old smuckers, the pride of orville, ohio, where they have the nicest strawberries in the world. look at this as the jar spins about. robert martin of florida, 102, retired new york city policeman. an avid sportsman and knows all the statistics. i admire those people. lots of kids know that. incredible. saratoga springs, new york, 100 years old today, leone wahn.

two-time cancer survivor. incredible. she was a belly dancer until she was 90. how about that? she could clear a room. unbelievable. hallelujah. good old david gim. secret to longevity is swimming at least five times a week and eating vegetables. not while swimming though. they say that doesn't give you cramps. everything's changed today. viola -- i always liked that name -- lillehaugen from ocket,. 100 today. lives independently, even though she's blind -- legally blind, i guess. avid quilter. happy birthday to you, my dear. and from washington, pennsylvania, william engle is 100 today. he loves to race boats. keep healthy forever.

and from florida, rose goldfield. the secret to longevity is her intellect. i wish i were that way. i don't know if i have a brain anymore. and we wish her a happy birthday. that's all from florida. >> all right, willard. thank you very much. when we come back, more of meredith's exclusive interview with janet jackson. first this is "today" on nbc.

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so striking to me. the caption is, i am 14 in a limo feeling alone and overwhelmed. >> pretty sad-looking. >> yeah, it is. this is a young lady who's just on the brink. you're going to start -- of a big music career. >> that i didn't want. i didn't want to be a singer. >> but your dad wanted it? >> this is then. i got my first recording contract when i was 14. i wanted to be an actress. i wanted to go to college. i wanted to go to pepperdine university, study business law. >> even then that's what you wanted to do. >> all my friends did make it to pepperdine. i was a sweet kid. >> miserable. >> unhappy. i was a good girl. >> you had such discipline growing up.

why do you think with food it fell apart? >> such discipline in other areas. that was my thing. it comforted me. or it could have swung the other way and not have eaten at all and been anorexic or purged. >> you did binge though a lot of the time. looking back, janet, do you believe you have had an eating disorder? do you think you have an eating disorder that you have to be on top of? >> i'm not going to say that i don't. no one's ever told me that i did. so there may be the possibility that i do. do i have to be on top of it? yeah, i do. >> you write that you and sur siblings grow up with the belief that you don't let others know what's going on inside. >> that's true. you never let the public know if there is pain. if you always put on a smile. >> you say in the book you thought your smile was hideous. why are you doing that? >> so much drama.

it's like, enough already. but it's the truth. i thought it was too wide. people would say, we love your smile, we love your smile. i thought, why? it's so -- it's too big. my mouth is too big. just issues. >> yet look at the cover of your book. hello. that's a big smile. >> right? today, i love my smile. >> what's the difference between your smile today and in the past? >> it's how i feel about me. that's the difference. >> i want to ask a little bit about your relationship. i know you're private and protective but he said something sweet. he said, i don't date janet jackson, she's my girlfriend. there is a difference. i thought that was very sweet. you're laughing. >> yeah. because i'm embarrassed. >> what does he do that triggers that happiness? >> everything.

just being who he is. that's all i will say. just being the man that he is toward me triggers that happiness. >> there is another man that means a great deal to you -- your brother michael. >> we shared a lot in life. he was special and i hadn't seen it and i was youtubing the other day and i came across on youtube going what is this? i just pushed play and he's talking about me. i'm sitting there watching it and he's talking about how we are the most alike in the family. >> janet, we think so much alike. we come up with the same ideas at the same time a lot of times. >> there will always be a connection. >> there is this quote in the book where you talk about that internal voice. you have learned to quiet those voices and negativity, self-doubt and self-loathing. where is the volume in your head

now? >> it's nice and low. [ whispering ] yeah, it's like that. can you hear that? you can't hear that, can you? i'm so silly. but it is. it's good to be in this space, in this place. >> we'll have much more about janet in the next hour. up next, a live performance from josh grobin, first this is "today" on nbc. like honey roasted,

honey bunches of oats. the perfect balance of crunchy flakes and clusters, with a kiss of golden honey. delicious. and the same calories per serving as special k original. so, try honey roasted, honey bunches of oats! heck try 'em all. >> announcer: the toyota concert series on "today" brought to you by toyota. >> we are back at 8:44 with a romantic tune from superstar singer-songwriter josh grobin. he recently released his fifth studio album. welcome back. nice to see you.

>> you, too, matt. >> you teamed up with a producer for this one, rick ruben. >> yes. >> he's produced for metallica and the red hot chili peppers. i don't put your name generally at the end of that sentence. >> nobody was more shocked than we were making music. we met, hit it off. we were talki in ing about musi an hour. he said i would be happy to listen and give you advice. that turned into, hey, why don't we do it together? he had finished a metallica record and i finished a christmas album. it was a perfect time to take a risk. we had a great time. >> you wrote 11 of the 13 songs on the album. you can't get much more personal than that. >> he pushed me hard. he wanted the songs to come from me and not being just presented by me as a havocalist which i ao love to do. he wanted me to not be afraid to be more personal with the songs but still sing them in the way i

have sung in the past. >> you're getting behind the album. you will announce world tour plans. >> right here, yeah we have started mapping out the next world tour. it will start this summer. it will be called "straight to you." and that's a fitting title for a tour. on saturday tickets go on sale for dallas and kansas city. i live to tour. >> you love being on stage. >> i love the live atmosphere, the x factor of what's going to happen. i can't wait to get out there. >> this is a day that seems perfect for your kind of music and songs. how are you going to spend valentine's day? >> make a nice bubblebath full of tears. my dog is watching on skype now. i love you. keep watching. >> he's running the bath apparently. >> exactly. in. >> >> enjoy it. >> thank you.

>> ladies and gentlemen, josh grobin. ♪ ♪

♪

♪ ♪

♪ [ applause ] >> the album is called illumination. josh groban, thank you so much. this is "today" on nbc.

have you ever dreamed of traveling to space? some teachers are being treated to a weightless experience and kerry sanders went along for the ride. >> 10, 9, 8 -- >> reporter: they are astronauts -- for just one day. science teachers about to live a dream. at 35,000 feet. >> two, one, booster ignition and liftoff! >> reporter: floating in zero

g's, complete weightlessness. invited by northrup drummond, on board today teachers like al son. >> we are trying to figure out if it will spin in zero gravity. >> reporter: she's explained the laws of gravity hundreds of times. >> we are here on earth and we have lots of gravity. >> reporter: now her 8th grade class will know she's no longer just teaching theory. >> kids are seeing what we are doing now. we're being relevant to them. and the fact that they have a teacher floating around will blow their minds. >> reporter: in all, the foundation will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars taking up more than 180 middle school science teachers from across the country. each teacher with their students' experiment. >> what's going on in the jieund

states? >> we want to be competitive and there is not enough interest in the sciences. >> reporter: we heard it from the president. >> we need to teach the kids it's not just the winner of the super bowl who needs to be celebrated but the winner of the science fair. >> reporter: at the heritage middle school in ohio there is a new excitement. >> i'm trying to swim. it's not working very well. >> reporter: zero g is a paraboela. first on the way up you are squished into the floor. then on the drop for 27 seconds, zero g's. >> the idea is that you're actually getting a teacher inspired and i think all of us have had that as our childhood. we remember those teachers and the hope is that what the teachers do here is inspired kids for the rest of their lives. whoo, that was cool. >> reporter: controlled chaos, the perfect place to learn chaos

theory. >> oh, yeah! nice job zblrvelgts. >> reporter: 2,000 ping-pong balls in weightlessness. for "today" kerry sanders, nbc news, somewhere over upstate new york. >> i'm glad he explained that. we thought they lost their cookies. >> you know, they need to do it with young people, students themselves. >> you've done it and said it's tough on the stomach. >> it is. i won't go into the details. >> i don't want to see that. >> never mind. >> coming up, all the highlights, fashion statements from last night's grammy awards. >> and giada cooks up a last-minute valentine's dinner. you can try it tonight after your local news.

>> 8:55 is your time. good morning. i'm eun yang. in the news, if you are just heading out you want to avoid getting on the beltway at telegraph road. all of the ramps to the beltway are closed now and will remain closed until 4:00 p.m. crews will shut down the ramps through thursday to work on the wilson bridge project. drivers are urged to avoid the area completely. same-sex marriage supporters rally in annapolis today part of a national campaign on valentine's day. the supporters want maryland to be the 6th sight legalize gay marriage. tom is here with a nice tom is here with a nice valentine's day treat for us. [ bell dings ] ♪ on account of a broken heart ♪ on account of a dream that fell apart ♪ uh... ♪ on account of i tried to play it smart... ♪ [ horn honks ] wait, are you trying to steal my engine?

my flirty eye... ♪of what are you doing? please, just don't hurt me. i'm being carjacked. i'm being carjacked. whoa! just please back away from the car! [ air hisses ] [ glass shatters ] oh, dear. my delivery. [ screams ] [ male announcer ] at carmax, we believe customer service shouldn't be a thing of the past.

>> we have temperatures now climbing into the 50s and will hit around 60 or so in the next couple of hours.

then later this afternoon strong winds out of the north and west gusting over 50 miles an hour will bring in colder weather in the 20s tomorrow, highs mid-40s tomorrow afternoon. but then warming back up. >> montgomery county police on the scene of an dent southbound 29 and stuart lanes trying to get to silver spring. middle of the road is tied up. on the beltway northern virginia we're very heavy and slow, inner loop as you leave the i-95 springfield interchange up to i-66, just volume through the work zone. >> another update in 25 minutes. join us tomorrow morning at

♪ we are back with more of "today" on a monday morning. it is the 14th day of february, 2011. that makes it valentine's day and that makes last night grammy night and there were wild performances like gwyneth paw joining the muppets and cee-lo green on stage to sing "forget you" as it is now called and there were surprises including album of the year, record of the year, best rap song. we're going to recap the event, some of the outfits and big winners in a little while including those big winners right there. that's lady antebellum with two

awards and lady gaga making an unusual entrance. mick jagger on stage at the grammys for the first time. out on the plaza, matt lauer along with mr. roker and ms. morales. what's coming up? >> we have great deals -- >> anybody. >> anyone? >> i was so enthralled with what you were saying. it's a family affair for will and kate. the royal palace announcing the best man and maid of honor and new details about the wedding party for the upcoming fairytale event in april. we'll have the latest from london and then in "today's" real estate, creative ways to make your home stand out from the rest and what to do if your neighbor is not only bringing you down, but bringing down the value of your property. barbara corcoran will be here to help out. >> with a very tall fence probably. plus, it's valentine's day. what better time to look at great getaways from a coastal retreat to a colorado city resort.

you can book today and surprise your sweetheart this evening. >> we're on a plane. >> pack your bags. >> let's go inside to the news desk. ann has the headlines. >> good morning, everybody. in the news tahrir square is largely empty today. protesters are cleared as the military tries to return the city to normal. they have dissolved parliament and suspended the constitution aiming to cut ties with president mubarak's legacy. today, egypt's ambassador to the united states said he has no official comment on report that is mubarak is in failing health. meantime the israeli cabinet met this weekend and reacted with relief that the egyptian military said it will adhere to the peace treaty with the jewish state. president obama submit as budget plan to congress where he faces a budget plan saying the cuts proposed aren't enough. some come from lower taxes and

limits on tax deductions for the wealthy. >> reporte gabrielle giffords is showing major improvement, beating a nurse at tic-tac-toe and singing along to songs. royal watchers are abuzz on valentine's day. peter alexander joins us with more. what's up? >> reporter: ann, good morning. love is in the air across the pond. prince william and kate middleton announcing the wedding party. william has asked prince harry to be best man. kate's maid of honor is her younger sister pippa. her primary responsibility is making sure kate's dress is displayed properly. diana's train was 25 feet long. her other challenge is making sure the bridesmaids behaves herself. the oldest bridesmaid is just 8.

and there are 3-year-olds in the mix. think of it as babysitting with a few billion people watching. could be a heck of a day for her. >> no kidding. thanks, peter. also in the news the winter olympics for death athletes were abruptly cancelled as teens began arriving for the games. the organizers said a lack of funding was to blame for the first cancellation since 600 athletes were set to participate starting this week. many teens say they have lost tens of thousands in training and travel expenses and now have to find a way home early. movie-goers brought adam sandler's romantic comedy to the top spot with $31 million. "never say never" came in second and "gnomeo & juliet" in second. now back out to

>> good morning. our temperatures are beginning to climb into the 50, we've got the wind beginning to increase but it will be quite strong before the winds pick up we'll have temperatures near 60 in the next several hours, then we'll

get colder later this afternoon and overnight with the winds whipping out of the northwest gusting over 50 miles per hour. we may have scattered power outages, then tomorrow morning down in the 20s so a big change. highs tomorrow mid-40s and sun we diminished wind. then we warm up wednesday, thursday. and that's your latest weather, natalie. >> the grammy awards are always full of surprises. this year didn't disappoint from great performances with gaga. meredith takes a look at the greatest moments. ♪ >> reporter: music's biggest night brought out its biggest stars. but the biggest buzz on the red carpet surrounded lady gaga who arrived inside -- well, a giant egg. the 53rd annual grammy awards got under way with a tribute to the recovering queen of soul, aretha franklin. ♪

>> i wish that i could have been with you all tonight. but since i couldn't, next year, okay? >> reporter: it was a night of rare performances from music royalty like bob dylan and barbra streisand. ♪ >> reporter: to rolling stone's front man mick jagger gracing the grammy stage for the first time in his career. ♪ >> reporter: teen idol justin bieber joined his mentor usher on stage. ♪ >> reporter: and pop princess katy perry performed her runaway hit. ♪ >> reporter: perhaps the most colorful performance of the night, cee-lo green joined by the jim henson company puppets

and by gwyneth paltrow performing a pg version of the foul-mouthed hit. ♪ >> and the grammy goes to lady antebellum. >> reporter: but the night belongs to lady antebellum. the country trio led the way with three grammys including song of the year. ♪ it's a quarter after one ♪ i'm all alone and i need you now ♪ >> reporter: indy rock band arcade fire in a surprise twist won the biggest award of the night, album of the year. lady gaga eventually came out of her shell performing per newest sing single. ♪ baby i was born this way >> reporter: she took home three grammys including best pop vocal album.

>> that was meredith reporting. courtney, good morning. >> good morning. >> let's talk big winners. you saw lady antebell um beating jay-z, bruno mars. >> i think a lot of people were surprised. >> they were the most downloaded album. >> you never know if popularity translates into awards. the number one box office movie rarely takes it home at awards time. same thick in the music industry. you expected a few awards but not the big wrap-up they got. >> turned out to be a lot of surprises. justin bieber lost best new artist of the year to esperanza spaulding. >> i think a lot of people were googling last night. >> an incredible musician, singer. amazing. >> incredible.

>> what happened to bieber? >> justin bieber has an enormous fan base, but sometimes they go to the people who may be more technically above board. justin bieber, the greatest performer we have right now arguably, but maybe not the chops that the grammy voters wanted to see now. >> i guess it was truly honoring perhaps those who -- the award is for best new artist. he's been around two years. >> that's what's funny about the grammys. we had the situation last year with the zack brown band. people saying, they have been around a couple of years. it does honor somebody who seems new right now. >> an up and comer. >> lots of people saying this is a head scratcher. >> let's get to the performances. lady gaga making her red carpet appearance in the egg shell. didn't her egg shell stunt outdo her performance? >> if i arrived to work in an

egg i'm not sure what i can do during the day to follow up with that arrival. lots of people were waiting for the song. the album isn't out until may so there was tons of hype. lots of people criticizing her for having a song that sounds like madonna's "express yourself." that's little surprise. lady gaga at every point of the way has been taking a page from the madonna playbook, how to be a fan favorite, stay popular, give your audit wrens ence -- >> how to make an entrance. >> when your entrances are so outra outrageous people stop asking about you. people great with fame now know how to deflect and distract. >> most colorful performance, cee-lo green and gwyneth paltrow with the muppets. >> how much do i love that? we all know we're here to entertain and people enjoy seeing gwyneth paltrow cross the line from actress to singer. >> we don't have time to get to

the fashion, but it was great to see barbra streisand performing, bob dylan, mick jagger for the first time. >> he's still got it. >> who knew it was his first time. so surprising. >> he should come back. >> courtney, thank you so much. as always. up next, your real estate questions answered. whether you are searching for a new property or want to move to a new town we have important advice for you. later on, janet jackson opens up about her struggles with weight and her close relationship with her brother michael. that's after these messages. uncer ] imagine the possibilities with stelara®. for adults, stelara® helps control moderate or severe plaque psoriasis with 4 doses a year, after 2 starter doses. in a medical study, 7 out of 10 stelara® patients saw at least 75% clearer skin at 12 weeks. and 6 out of 10 patients had their plaque psoriasis rated as cleared or minimal at 12 weeks. stelara® may lower your ability to fight infections and increase your risk of infections. some serious infections require hospitalization.

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skype. good morning. happy valentine's day. >> good morning. happy valentine's day. >> what's your question for barb? >> yes. we have a five-bedroom, four-bath california mediterranean home. we're wondering if to make our listing more appealing we should add the timeshare to it in maui? >> oh, that's interesting. let me tell you, adding a timeshare is a great gimmick for you to add to the listing. it's not going to get the house sold but it will grab attention and that's half the battle. you can also advertise both on and off line taking advantage of that by saying something like "two for the price of one" or vacation on us in maui, something to bring attention. wow, that's maui? oh, that's your backyard. looks like maui. there's the maui place. nice timeshare. the other reason it's a great idea is because timeshares are selling for maybe 20 cents on

the dollar. it's not as though you are really giving away as much as it appears you are. it's a great idea. >> way to go. >> thank you. >> happy valentine's day. now to marcia from bartlett, new hampshire, on the phone. good morning. >> good morning, barbara. thank you for taking my call. >> you're welcome. your question for barbara? >> caller: the house abutting ours has been vacant for over three years and the owner lives out of state. the garage has collapsed and there are 12 junked vehicles on the property. we wonder how this will affect the value of our home when we get ready to sell. the rest of the neighborhood is fine. >> is there something she can get e town to do? >> there is a lot you can do here. number one, i'm sure the neighbors are as upset about this dump as you are. i would get a gun and kill the guy. >> barbara's joking! she's joking. [ laughter ] >> ha, ha, ha. valentine's day. april fool's, same thing.

>> i'm not -- with that -- >> back to marcia's problem. >> well, marcia, i'm now serious. get your neighbors to join hands with you. you should go down to the county clerk's office and find out if legally that guy has any right -- i understand from an e-mail you sent me that he's had a lot of automobiles parked onr. >> caller: 12. >> vehicles aren't allowed in a residential area. it is a claim. the question is how to get it cleaned up? ask for a meeting with the town board in writing by certified mail. copy the slob next door and meet with them. if you don't get any solution to the problem, the best thing you can do, and you may want to do it early is hire an attorney. something about a legal letter from an attorney a town stands attention for because they want to cover their butt. do everything in writing.

make your claim. you are entitled to not have the home sale affected by that. your home will be worth what the neighbor can sell his dump for. you are only worth the worst house on the block. >> that's true. >> long-winded answer but i was interrupted by also much. >> when i have someone tell somebody to kill someone. >> okay, okay. >> marie in new york. i'm looking to retire in florida. i'm looking at a four-bedroom home in orlando. where can i find one for $400,0 $400,000? >> the average price is only $149,000. shopping for a home around $400,000, you will have the pick of the litter. go to lake nona for example, a high priced area and for about $350,000 you can get a whopper of a house on a canal, a lake with your own swimming pool. there's a front shot of a $349,000 house. on the back end, lots of

waterways. i want to give you more advice. go to orlando. it's only 97 square miles big. spend three weekends shopping and promising yourself you won't buy until you have checked out everything in the state. if you go there, three weekends in a row, you will really know what you want to buy and where you will be most happy living. that's the best advice i can give you. >> and nobody gets threatened. >> no, no. >> happy valentine's day. coming up, surprise your sweetie. we have fantastic getaways to rekindle romance. first, these messages. if your racing thoughts keep you awake... sleep is here, on the wings of lunesta. and if you wake up often in the middle of the night... rest is here, on the wings of lunesta. lunesta helps you fall asleep and stay asleep, so you can wake up feeling rested. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake.

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>> because you're not a princess. >> i'm not a princess? listen, your mother is a princess. >> so those are some of the submissions we have received so far for the last week or so we have been telling you about plans to give one viewer and a guest the royal treatment in london during the week of william and kate's wedding. >> we still want to hear from more of you and creativity counts here. get out the cameras and create a video that's no more than two minutes detailing why london is calling and why you deserve to be there for everything. >> still to come, two new members of the joy fit club. this is a couple who began last valentine's day. together they lost -- get this -- a combined 280 pounds. that's amazing. talk about a gift that keeps giving. >> and they gained eight pounds. they had a little baby in their arms. >> that story after your local

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so i just have one question for you. are you eating quaker for breakfast? >> 9:26 is your tomb. 55 degrees already. we're in for a warm day. tom will have the forecast after the news. people trying to park at a lot near potomac mills mall are finding themselves out of luck. starting today the 1,000 spaces there were reduced to 275. the mall took the spaces back as it prepares to expand. there are ten other lots in the area that commuters are urged to park at instead. we'll take a break and have we'll take a ban lteningave to ouravoritsong

than liste our favngs. t r fari is eatnoizol. e'reheids in ♪

>> good morning. right now we've got the sunshine and temperatures are now climbing into the 50s. 52 at reagan national. later today should hit around 60, then gusty winds later this afternoon, some of which could be over 50 miles an hour. that may cause scattered power outages. 40s for the evening. highs tomorrow mid-40s. >> looking better along i-270 southbound, no accidents, an earlier incident long since cleared. downtown, a bit of a backup to the 14th street bridge. no late issues there. an accident on the key bridge has been cleared so looking better with minimal delays.

back to you. >> thanks so much. another update in 25 minutes. join us tomorrow for "news4 today" at 4:30 a.m. this week, make pasta night more exciting for your family with a little help from the italian sausage experts: try... since 1945, this delicious italian sausage has been made with only the most premium cuts of pork and unique blends of quality herbs and spices you can actually see. and the taste? why not let the empty plates speak for themselves. make pasta night a weekly dinner your family looks forward to. choose johnsonville, america's favorite italian sausage. brand power. helping you buy better.

♪ >> we have been talking a lot about the grammy awards today and this is a woman who knows something about them. janet jackson has 12 grammys. now getting ready to open up about challenges of her life from the loss of her brother michael to issues with self-esteem. we'll hear more from her in her very revealing interview she did with meredith in a little bit. >> okay. then we'll move on and talk about valentine's day. today's the day. if you haven't found something to give your sweetie, how about

tickets to some place great to get away? >> you should go, too. >> maybe. or send him all by himself. >> see you later. don't come back. >> we have great bargain prices from chile to colorado. we'll show you some this morning. >> there is nothing more romantic than a delicious

>> good morning. the sunshine and temperatures are warming into the 50s now around the region. we should head around 60 or so, warmer through central virginia. quite a bit of sun. a gusty northwest wind out of the northwest later this afternoon. that will bring in colder weather and those winds could be gusting over 50 miles per hour that may bring scattered power outages. 20s tomorrow morning, afternoon the mid-40s on tuesday. we'll be warming back up again after that into friday. and that's your latest weather. >> thanks, al. up next, a candid interview with janet jackson and how her relationship with her father and brother shaped her life right after this. - to best serve your customers, you have to know them. personally. only a local agent can do that. [click, motor hums] - doug pierce. lives in tornado alley.

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janet jackson has had a stellar career in the spotlight but behind the scenes she's had her share of struggles. meredith sat down to talk about her new memoir "true you" which comes out tomorrow. they touched on personal subjects including why janet spent years miserable about her appearance. >> in your 20s your album "rhythm nation" topped the charts. you wrote in the book you were so self-critical that, quote, i hated what i saw in the mirror. i would bang my head against the wall because i felt so ugly. you really did that? >> i would literally bang my head against the wall and cry. i didn't feel attractive. there was so much going on in my life. i felt very unattractiveme. >> where did that come from? >> it stems from my childhood.

>> reporter: as early as age 6 janet remembers comparing herself to her older sister. >> i would look at her picture and say, god, she's so beautiful. if i could only look like that when i get older. >> reporter: when it came to her first television acting role it was not always "good times" backstage for janet. >> i developed at a very young age. i started getting breasts when i was 10. to make me look more flat-chested they would bind my chest. that says immediately, okay, the way you are, you're not good enough. that affected me at 10 years old. >> they also said you were fat. that you needed to lose weight. >> they want med to go on a diet, i and i did. i never felt right. >> some of the teasing came from your brothers. michael in particular would tease you about your butt. >> yes. he never meant for it to be cruel. he didn't realize the effect on me. i got called a lot of names. >> what kinds of names?

>> oh, horse, pig, cow, slaughterhog. >> this is by your brothers? >> yeah. it makes you laugh. >> yeah. >> i guess some people could say, that's what brothers and sisters do -- joking. but not everybody can brush it off. i was the kind of kid that kept everything inside. i never spoke out. >> you wrote an essential part of the story is rooted in my inability to confront joseph. talk to me about that. >> what do you want to know, meredith? >> i want to know what you meant by that. >> my father was never there the way i really wanted a father to be. i would see my friends interact with their dad and i would say to myself, that's what i want to do. i want to be able to sit on his lap. i want to be able to call him dad. >> you call him joseph? >> yeah. he said, that's my name to you.

you call me joseph. you don't calle me dad. i tried once. >> to call him dad? ? what happened. >> that's exactly what happened. he said i'm joseph to you. you do not call me dad. see, you're going to start me going here. that affects you as a kid. >> i'm sure it does. >> it still affects me, as you can see. but it really does affect you. i know my father loves me. he just has a very, very different way of showing it. >> you have dedicated your book to mike. >> we were very close. we'd talk in the car and just have conversations and he said he knows some day the world is going to come to an end. i said, why do we work so hard. he said, it doesn't necessarily mean it's going to happen

tomorrow. it may, but you have to continue on with life. you have to prepare for the future. a lot of those things he taught me. >> one last thing before i let you go. your hair. everybody's commenting that you cut it off to make some big statement. >> to make -- what was my statement i was trying to make? >> being liberated. >> it was very liberating. but, see, this is not the first time i have cut my hair. >> don't get frustrated with me. >> no, no. meredith! this isn't the first time i have cut my hair short. i really cut my hair for "colored girls." i cut it for the film. i thought the character should have short hair. i got rid of all the excess luggage i was carrying. >> that was meredith with janet jackson. her new book "true you" comes out tomorrow. on wednesday, chef andre will be here to whip up recipes from the book. up next, great deals on romantic getaways right after this.

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♪ this morning on "today's travel," romantic getaways. if you want to surprise your valentine with tickets or a trip it's not too late. hotels have great february deals. we have the features director at travel & leisure magazine. always great to see you. >> great to see you, ann. >> you're saying the right word -- deals. how good are they? >> great deals. the main thing you have to worry about booking travel is trying to avoid the day of the holiday. by booking today and going later you will get a better deal. >> first deal, new york. aurora, new york. >> upstate new york on the shores of cayuga lake.

there is a property called e.b. morgan house. it's a beautiful mansion that's been restored immaculately. there are four-poster beds, frete linens. there is no wake-up call or alarm clock. someone comes to the door, brings in coffee, muffins and juice and that's how you start the day. >> there is another room. they are not expensive. >> $179 a night. there is a cozy library to play board games, lots of outside activities. if you're having a romantic weekend it's nice to stay in. >> glen oaks in big sur, california. this is a beautiful place. you will get lost in the scenery. >> if you're a nature lover there is no better place than big sur. this hotel is in the middle of gorgeous hills with redwoods on the shores of the big sur river. i are a short hike away from one

of the best local beaches. it's known for purple sand. on the property they have showers for two. i'm sure that's for conserving water. but there are other things you can do -- >> amazing. the mind reels. >> let's not even talk about out. le the key is affordable and eco. that's a great thing for nature legislat lovers. >> it has a sustainable reputation. now to new mexico to la posa posava de santa fe. >> this property is great in the middle of it off. if you are interested in the gallery scene, great food or just walking around it's accessible for that reason. the cristo mountains are there, too. so you can go skiing. they have a great valentine's day special running through april. it was on travel & leisure.com. you get a couples massage, $40 off the daily breakfast and

champagne and strawberries. valentine's day doesn't just have to be february 14th. >> let's go to colorado and the viceroy snow mass. this is for skiing? >> people love to ski. getting a great deal during ski season is tough. this is only $185 a night. your room has a sun deck, a fireplace. it has pillowtop bed and a down duvet. and ski in, ski out. you're right on the slopes, a couple minutes from aspen, a great little town. i'm a big fan of aspen in the summer and winter time. >> finally to the ritz carlton, why not, in santiago, chile. >> we are always talking ant buenos aires, but santiago is great because it give use access to the desert, the patagonian ice fields and the ritz carlton gives you access to an incredible amount of luxury in the heart of the city.

their wine collection in the restaurant is 365 different chilean wines. if you want a wine education this is a great way to do it. >> if you buy the tickets, are these tickets for just in the next, say, months in terms of getting a deal? >> depends on which deal it is, it's all the way through spring. i think you can be flexible. as you get into spring break, holidays, the prices go up a little bit. this is a great window before spring break to get traveling. >> thank you so much for the good ideas. up next, now that you have planned the romantic getaway, how about a romantic meal. who better to give us one than giada? she has a delicious easy pasta if you're staying in tonight. first this is "today" on nbc.

♪ this morning we are whipping up a romantic valentine's meal for that special somebody in

your life. chef giada has a memorable menu that can be prepared in no time at all. happy valentine's day. >> happy valentine's day, al. >> we have almonds. >> they are aphrodisiac and the smell of almonds is supposed to evoke passion in women and the smell of steak in men. i think i have it all in these dishes. >> it's covered. >> i have it covered. >> what are we making? >> i have two filets. salt, pepper, olive oil and herbs d'provence. six minutes on each side. 10 to 12 minutes for medium rare. while that's cooking, i have a can of tomatoes. >> okay. >> i have garlic in here. little bit. lemon zest. go for it, al. lemon juice and basil. throw it all in there. this is a really fast pasta dish. >> simple. >> it's beautiful but you can

make at the last minute if you just realized you can't go out or. >> you forgot to make reservations. >> oh, my goodness, it's valentine's day. >> puree it together. it looks like this. if you want to check the pasta. we are cooking spaghetti. i like the long pasta and i think it's sexier, too, for valentine's day. straight in on top of the sauce. is that it? there's a lot more in there. we didn't taste it, but i will do it now. >> it looks like it. aren't you supposed to throw it up against the wall? >> we can try it. throw it against the camera. it didn't stick. >> there it did. >> okay, okay. al! you are -- wait. al! here, smoked almonds, go. >> okay. in there? >> yes.

add some smoked almonds for a nice smoky flavor. you're going to grate some cheese. you're a good sous chef. there you go. then mix it all together. there you go. see, it smells good. >> it does. that's great. >> i know. see? then i top it with a little bit of steak. >> mm. >> so, here. i will give you a little bit. go with the cheese. there we go. >> nice. >> we'll get you some sauce. there we go. then you take the filet. al wants to make sure the steak is done properly. >> right. >> take some filet and slice it right on top just like this. >> very nice. >> remember when you grill a steak to let it sit for eight to ten minutes before you slice it. >> and we have two desserts. >> come on over. >> okay. >> ooh, there we go. >> uh-oh. >> i'm boiling my cream over here. i have a chocolate honey almond

tart. i have heavy cream right there. whisk it together. you add heavy cream that's simmering over the chocolate chips and melt it to create a ganache. i make a chocolate graham cracker crust. crackers, butter and almonds. use regular if you want and add cocoa powder. let it sit in the fridge for five hours and you're done. >> that's it? >> yum! chocolate. >> that's the other aphrodisiac. >> one more dessert? >> what is this, brittle? >> it goes on top. sugar, water and almond and truffles. these are tarragon merlot truffles. >> wow. >> nice. >> it's valentine's day so you have to have lots of desserts. >> really good. >> i hear a buzzing over here. job what's going on. everything is boiling and

cooking. and grilling. >> there is spa at the tiget ti >> happy valentine's day! >> all right. still ahead -- >> much more coming up including a couple that lost a combined 280 pounds after your local news and weather.

>> 9:56 is your time. 61 degrees. could it be we're in 60s in february? yes indeed. i'm eun yang. in the news, police are still trying to piece together details after a deadly shoot-out involving officers in northeast washington. it started late last night at a home near 12th and irving street. neighbors tell news 4 a group of college students was having a party when there was a robbery. several suspects ran out shooting at police when officers returned fire, one suspect was killed and another injured. a third is also in custody. tom, 60 degrees. i'm ready to do like a celebration dance. >> bring it on. we have temperatures climbing to around 60. it's going to hold for another couple of hours but it will be a brief fling, unfortunately. it's going to be over. we'll have a cold front coming in with strong gusty winds turning it much colder later tonight. tomorrow morning down in the

20s. and as the winds kick up this afternoon we could have gusts over 50 that may cause scattered outages. colder tomorrow, then a warm-up on the way. how's traffic? >> a live look north of town there had been a broken down vehicle. quickly cleared so whatever delays we had have cleared out nicely. let's see how things are westbound i-66, going to be heading west from the beltway to vienna, crews are beginning work patching pot holes. new york avenue, the usual traffic light delays through northeast. >> thank you so much. join us for "news4 midday," all your news weath

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from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> hi, everybody. it's fun-day monday, valentine's day, also known as singles awareness day. >> who wrote singles awareness day? that is derogatory. >> you and i are already arguing because apparently during the grammys last night, hoda woman was texting and e-mailing and tweeting and facebooking through the whole thing. leave people alone. >> listen to me.

they like the input. no, they're into it. did you like lady antebellum? yes, i do. >> then you're missing the next performer. >> no, i'm not. it takes a second, i do it during commercials and i'm out. >> anyway, i'm all dressed up as a valentine today. this guy sent me this a long time, elliott raffit. i didn't know what to do with it. i've been looking at it on my dresser going, eureka. can we make it available for somebody who wants it? never mind. i tried to have a little fun. i do have a secret admirer, though. i thought it was a secret admirer until i found out every female anchor got one. happy valentine's day, never say

never, justin bieber. >> i got flowers and i will didn't take the card off because i may regift them. >> she will regift them. >> i'm kidding. >> i got an early valentine's day gift yesterday. a musical i've been working on literally for twelve and a half years, for someone who does only daily television, that's dedication. it does not come naturally with me. well, the musical i wrote with david freeman and david pomerantz will be opening at one of the most prestigious theaters in the country. first viewing will be september 30, and i'm so looking forward to seeing everybody in seattle! >> this is the coolest part

because i got a copy of the seattle times, the printed version. the headline reads, "le mis," kathie lee, and they talk about you and they go down to the ones on the bottom, "damn yankees." good for you. you've been waiting for it. it goes to this regional theater and then what? >> everybody dreams of going to broadway, there are no guarantees. you take it one step at a time. this is not our first production of it. we have a brand new show with a brand new director, and hopefully the people will love it and we'll end up on broadway. >> this woman, amy mcpherson, i didn't know anything about her. once you know about her, you can't believe you didn't know about her. >> she's one of the most famous women that nobody knows about. the great work she did was

between two world wars, you know. but her story is unbelievable. >> what about the song? ♪ hooray for hollywood >> that was her. >> if you put lady gaga, oprah and everyone together, they would not be what she was in the 20th century. it's been an absolute labor of love. >> everyone was into the grammys, which were hot, i thought. >> i thought it was the best produced grammys ever. i don't know how they moved one set out and the next one in because it was like a broadway production. >> did you guys see those five women on stage. that was astonishing. >> they were brilliant. ♪ >> it was a capture. >> it was a great group.

and then you actually saw aretha franklin. she wasn't present but she was home. >> it was the first time since she had her surgery. didn't she look great, hoda? >> she lost i don't know how much weight. she had a little taped video message. >> i wish i could vn with you all tonight, but since i couldn't, next year, okay? >> she looks great. good for her. >> she looks like she's feeling better. >> lady gaga, we always expect creativity. she's a genius at being insane. >> she was carried out, we should point out. before she hatched from that egg, she was carried by cleopatra in that egg on the red carpet. i would be claustrophobic. she was in that egg. >> she does whatever it takes to make that initial whoa. she's amazing. the other one, barbra streisand.

♪ >> genius. sorry. >> oh, gosh. her album didn't win, though, did it? or do we know? >> the one that won album of the year was the group i had never heard of. >> she was up for female vocal pop, i think. maybe i'm wrong. >> who won for best album? what is it? arcade fire. >> that's not a good thing when you have a fire in an arcade, but i guess in their case it's good. i don't even know who they are. >> let's watch because he sings a song called "forget you." >> yeah, i'll forget you.

♪ >> he has on, like, peacock feathers. >> a lot of reviews are saying they out-gagaed gaga. >> everyone thought justin bieber was going to beat out everybody. and another woman. her name was lady esparinza, and everyone was wondering, who is this lady that beat out justin bieber? ♪ >> first time a jazz artist has ever won it. sometimes we pick a clip that doesn't show a person's ability. >> that might have been the clip. hello! >> i should find one for "everyone has a story," you know

what i'm saying? where is my grammy, hoda woman? >> we also need to point out lady antebellum really did the best and swept the category. >> cassidy plays carmelo in "the winter's tale," an austere shakespearean play. the kids are terrific in it and all that, but there are people just scattered because it was an invited dress rehearsal. tonight is opening night. she always brings a lot of, i don't know, she cares so much. she just pours herself into these things. but, anyway, right behind me was this little kid and there was this unbelievable scene where it's just really quiet and everything, you know, is tense, and you don't know what's going to happen, and this little kid

rips one. i couldn't believe it! and frank and i were sitting right in front of him, and we couldn't -- >> you were in front of him? that's the one good thing. >> even her mother starts to heave laughing. no one could look at the little girl because we know it was her. i swear, hoda, i had steam coming out of my ears. i almost had to leave the theater because i didn't want to embarrass the little girl. but oh, my gosh, you had to be there. i hope she's in the audience tonight. we need a plant in the audience. >> liven things up. so it is valentine's day, guys. happy valentine's day to everybody out there. >> we've got favorite things. >> we have to do the kissing contest. it's in thailand. do you know how long a couple kissed to break the world record?

more than 36 hours. oh, it was 32 hours, 7 minutes and 42 seconds. if you have to go to the bathroom, you still have to -- i don't know how they did this, but you have to be -- there was one gay couple. you have to be locked -- you have to go to the bathroom together and you have to have somebody that goes with you to witness that you still have your lips together. i mean, i would have entered it except for that. some things are private. >> can you imagine 33 hours? you are sick. what is wrong with you? what is wrong with you? >> i might have to wait with mine. you go ahead. >> mine, i've fallen in love with my ipad. crazy, madly in love. let me show you real quick. i'm telling you right now, look at this. look what happens here. let's pretend you're on a live shot and you need to use the

teleprompter. okay? don't move. just hold on. i'm saying it's important. look what happens. can you see it? >> no. >> look. do it. here's your copy, klt, please read it slowly and carefully. anyway, the new york post comes up and it looks like the real post. anyway, i am in love with this. scrabble is addictive. >> i'm wearing my snoozies. they're the best slippers i've ever had in my life. >> what's so great about them? >> they're the softest ever. you can see how plush they are.

can you wash them in the dishwasher? not the dishwasher. >> you can wash them in the laundry. i live in these. >> this is a book called archiotomy. she grew up in a ukranian home. had never heard of god before. she was homeschooled. anyway, at the age of four starts having visions of heaven. and last time i told you about the story about the little boy called heaven's for real, people went crazy for it. this is unbelievable. her artwork and her poetry, unbelievable. wait until you see the things she painted when she was like eight years old. >> beautiful, beautiful book. >> if you don't like a guy and you just broke up with somebody, just to feel good on valentine's day, you do this. look. you disintegrate them and then you flush them. >> you're in the bath, he's in the tub. >> that's what i mean.

it flushes right down the drain. there's truffle, merlot, and who needs a valentine, have a valentini. hoda has a big old date tonight that i can't wait to hear about tomorrow. the inconceivable story, right after this. sleep is here, on the wings of lunesta. and if you wake up often in the middle of the night... rest is here, on the wings of lunesta. lunesta helps you fall asleep and stay asleep, so you can wake up feeling rested. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving, or engaging in other activities while asleep, without remembering it the next day, have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions, such as tongue or throat swelling,

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we expect a lot from our cheese. why did the cook get arrested? i don't know. he was caught beating an egg! [ laughs ] a cheese monger, a dairy farmer and a duck walk into this... wait a minute, have you heard this one? nice tie sir. is that a windsor knot? [ male announcer ] we take the time for our cheese to mature before we bake it into every delicious cracker because at cheez-it, real cheese matters. it is a prospective parent's worst nightmare.

after getting pregnant through ivf, the couple realized the clirng had made a terrible error. the embryo they had belonged to someone else. >> they decided to move ahead with the pregnancy even though the doctor told them it would be their last. they handed over custody to the biological parents. they are telling their story in a new book. it is called "inconceivable, a medical mistake, the baby we couldn't keep and our choice to deliver the ultimate gift." >> this is a beautiful, beautiful book. >> it really is. >> you're here on valentine's day and so often we think of romantic love. but the love you expressed to bring this child not only into the world, but to forgive the clinic that made the mistake, the doctor that did, and then to bless the family that you gave this child up to, that's what love is. >> tell us about when you first

heard the news that the baby you were carrying was not yours. >> you know, it happened the very day that i learned i was pregnant, so the news kind of came in about a sentence. and shawn actually got the call at work and he came home and told me, and it was just one of those moments as a mom where your breath gets taken away. i think we knew immediately that we had somebody's precious, precious child in our care. just the way we all look out for each other's children, you know. you could be in a park and another child falls. we're all right there in a heartbeat. >> but this is going to be nine months in your body, and you had had some very difficult pregnancies before that, so this was not a walk in the park for you. >> oh, no, and we talk about that when we tell our story in detail. it was a struggle, no doubt. but our fundamental decision to carry him and to give that gift of life to him and to paul and

shana morrell, it was important. >> it challenged our marriage. it was difficult, and i think it's a story of struggle in a marriage, and i think other people can learn from that. and just to learn from our challenge, i think people can get a lot from that. >> the pictures of you all and that beautiful baby and knowing you actually walked up to the other couple and handed the child over, describe to us what that was like for you two. >> it was tough. it really was. >> it still is, isn't it? >> it is. any time i think about that, i get emotional. we were given a gift of souls out there. he's god's gift to the world. and we will always look at it that way. we don't know what our role will be in his life, but we'll always be glad that we gave this child the opportunity for life. >> i found it was very interesting that you're

practicing catholics, right? >> uh-huh. >> and i guess the catholic church's stance on ivf is they call it immoral. >> right. >> at the same time, you did not abort this child. you believe in the sanctity of life. >> right. >> so that had to be a double whammy, knowing your church was against it. >> you know, our parish, our community rallied around us. and somebody made that statement that has never met us, that has never walked in our shoes, but yeah, that was tough. that was tough. >> i think what was extra great about you two is you sort of unhooked the people in the hospital in a way who are probably carrying around horrible guilt for what they did, and you said, i want to let you know -- i don't remember exactly how you phrased it, but it was a beautiful way of letting them feel some relief. >> i think what we would like to

see this happening is everyone involved learn from it. i think our story has messages for everybody in the medical industry, and you have to be careful. and for patients to take a look at our story as a cautionary tale, there are very important questions that need to be asked. but what we don't want is to have long-lasting negative impact on anybody's life. >> well, you two are fascinating, and the book is really uplifting. >> it's beautifully done. >> thank you so much for coming on our show. what a great couple you two are. happy valentine's day. >> i wrote karen a letter and put it on our web site. placebobook.com. we posted it today. it's about our journey and our view of it. >> up next, it's time to surprise one of our lucky viewers at home, and boy, is this fan going to get the surprise of their life. >> i want it. >> i do, too. [ female announcer ] in the past 10 years

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and secret. the four most awarded brands. keeping you your most beautiful from head to toe. ♪ 'cause today is a great day ♪ for falling in love ♪ it's time for surprises. >> we're going to surprise one of our lucky viewers at home in a series we call "fan of the week." >> sara is here to announce our valentine's day winner and the moment is here. >> this is a big one so we're getting straight to it. the winner is susan aossim from mason, ohio. she's the mother of three girls and a kindergarten teacher.

her favorite of the show is hoda's playlist. she discusses the show with her best friend who watches from belgium and her daughter even calls her susan woman in honor of hoda. now, as a big thank you to this amazing fan, guess what, susan, pack your bags. we're sending you to paris! >> stop it. >> enjoy round trip airfather on open skies for you and a friend. three-night hotel stay for two in paris, france at hotel d de sirs. >> she's going to my birthplace. >> you can have a chance. >> still to come, all the grammy

surprises. ring ring ring ring progresso. hi. we love your weight watchers endorsed soups but my husband looks the way he did 20 years ago. well that's great. you haven't seen him... my other can is ringing. progresso. hey can you tell my wife to relax and enjoy the view? (announcer) progresso. you gotta taste this soup. his family knows what to expect. hun, mike's coming -- let's get crackin'. [ male announcer ] but what mike rowe doesn't know is that his parents have armed themselves with unquilted viva® towels. place looks great. [ male announcer ] mike doesn't know that every concentrated viva roll is made of strong, fiber packed sheets, making it one tough towel.

but his mom sure does. wow, for me? you shouldn't have. i insist. [ male announcer ] hey, if viva can handle mike rowe's mess, just think what it can do in your home. grab a roll for yourself and grasp the unquilted difference. >> police are still trying to piece together details after a deadly shootout involving officers in northeast washington. coming up, why investigators returned one of the suspects to the crime scene this morning. and good morning. i'm barbara harrison. also coming up last-minute shopping for valentine's day. some are scrambling to find the perfect something this morning. and we have very special guests in the studio at midday.

the experts tell us the economy's moving again, and it is for some. the stock market's nearly double, and wall street's handing out big bonuses. but millions of americans face a much colder reality. woman: the big drug store chain where i worked cut my hours, then laid me off. i had to sell my car to pay rent and buy heating oil. man: i got laid off. luckily i found a part-time job in a lumber yard. i had to take in boarders to make my mortgage. kennedy: millions are living in fear, afraid that they'll fall through the cracks -- unable to even stay warm. this recovery so far has left a lot of people behind. that's why citizens energy delivers heating oil to thousands of struggling families, thanks to the generosity of the venezuelan people and citgo, the only country and the only oil company

to answer our call to help the needy. i'm joe kennedy. if you need help staying warm, give me a call at 1-877-joe-4-oil, because no one should be left out in the cold. fixing the name. it's fiber none. looks like one. well, i know. i put an "n" there. ah! fiber one honey clusters cereal! that's really good! it tastes good, so there can't be fiber in it! it's actually got about half a day's worth of fiber. [ asst mgr ] it says so right on the box. [ fiber seeker ] really? try it. [ mr. mehta ] honey, touch of brown sugar, crunchy clusters -- any cardboard? cardboard no, delicious yes. so where's the fiber? maybe it's in the honey clusters. [ male announcer ] fiber one. cardboard no, delicious yes.

. we're back with today's buzz from the grammy awards to charlie sheen's at-home rehab to the weekend box office results and a-list baby news. >> andy cohen has all the answers to your buzz questions. >> first of all, i want to point out one of andy's tweets while watching the grammys, because i'm on to him, was he was bored. >> i got a little bored. after gaga, this country singer came on -- >> miranda lambert? >> we love that song. >> i know. i saw your tweet. i'm sorry, i got bored!

i know that i'm here actually because you're surprising me with a trip to paris with kathie lee. >> that's not going to happen. >> so the grammys. here's what. i thought lady gaga -- i loved her arrival in the egg, i thought that was so great, but i thought that her performance -- look, i thought it was very blond ambition meets express yourself. i was back in a madonna moment, you know, from the hair and the song is very express yourself. i like it but i had been so amped up from watching the "60 minutes" piece on lady gaga, i expected her to explode or something. >> this is the problem she's going to have. how do you talk to yourself over and over and over again? you know. she's talented. you know, people expect something from her. >> she was amazing. actually, the "60 minutes" thing, i thought she was very impressive on that piece. >> she admitted to smoking pot and everything. she didn't care. >> she did.

>> they were saying "lady gaga" over and over. >> the times said she galady antebellum gave a karaoke performance. >> i think she's great. >> so many upsets. lady antebellum. spalding who won for best new artist. >> do you think that was a bad deal? bieber didn't win anything at the grammys. >> he won at the box office over the weekend. >> he's got a huge movie out. "never say never" was a good

performance. so he didn't get a statue, big whoop. >> who was that one group that won? >> arcade fire. they're great. >> she knows everything, and i'm surprised she didn't know. why didn't you? >> i don't know. i've been in lala land lately. just saying. >> let's talk about charlie sheen's rehab. >> charlie sheen's at-home rehab. the phrase "at-home rehab," that's hilarious. >> didn't we just find out one of his paramours is pregnant? >> yes, but not with his child, she says. >> how do we know whose child it is? >> we're talking about charlie sheen here. >> i am just saying when you do that for a living and with multiple partners, it would be kind of hard to keep track of who the daddy. you know? wouldn't it be kind of hard? am i wrong? >> no, you're right.

>> i have a pretty good idea with my two. >> in any case -- >> that's all we have. too much talking. >> i'll see you friday. >> andy is going to co-host with me on friday, so that's going to be -- hello. i'm scared of you. >> don't be scared of me. >> it will be fun. you do a great job. not that i watch, but i hear. up next, the valentine story of love and loss. weight loss, we're talking about. after this.

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it's time for another installment of "look at me now the joy fit club." >> they knew they needed to make a lifestyle change on valentine's day last year. let's take a look at their story. >> hi,tammy, and i weighed 315 pounds at my heavie heaviest. >> i was 315 pounds at my heaviest. >> i've been hoeavy my entire life. >> i've been heavy my entire life. >> we were always taking our

kids to birthday parties or activities. >> we were always on the go, so we'd eat out. >> if we weren't eating out, we would eat fried foods at home, pasta, drinking sodas and not to mention the sweets. >> there were plenty of sweets to go around. >> we never had a problem with the way we looked. >> but the little things like my daughter saying i had a belly like santa. >> i wanted to go to the movies but i was afraid i wouldn't be able to fit in the seats. >> i had high blood pressure and high cholesterol that i had to take medication for. >> we knew we had to drastically change our lifestyle. so around valentine's day of 2010, we began our journey. >> over the course of the next year, we would change how and what we ate. >> i have lost over 130 pounds. >> and i have lost 150 pounds. >> without each other, we couldn't have done this. >> before we meet the happy couple, we're here with the leader of the pack, "today"'s

contribut contributor. >> they started this journey last year on valentine's day. >> i'm surprised they lost all that weight in a year's time. he lost it in sixñi months, youe saying. >> in six months. what's neat is so many women would get so frustrated to see her husband have all this weight fall off, but she took it as a positive. she said hisçó speedy weight lo inspired her, and i think this helped a lot of viewers out there. i use this with clients and it's a great approach. they watched and controlled everything they ate, but one time each week, they allowed themselves a meal off. so it was a splurge meal that they can look forward to and it helped them stay with the plan. >> it still works. it still keeps the process going. >> in the spirit of valentine's day, this is what they had for valentine's dinner last year when they were heavy. fried motzzarella sticks, salad with dressing, bread with

butter, chocolate cake -- that looks really good! all of this collectively was 6,400 calories. this is what they're planning to eat tonight for valentine's. spinach salad, shrimp, asparagus, and they're going to split that chocolate cake. they shaved off 500 calories. >> this is tammy's before picture. >> wow! tammy, nice job! good girl! wow. all right. it's time for your hubby. look at joe's before picture. where is joe's before picture? we don't know, but here's joe after. >> where did you go? >> oh, my god! >> how do you guys feel, by the way? >> amazing.

great. it's -- yeah. >> i'm just surprised from one valentine's day to the next -- i know you guys were having health and medical issues. was that really the trigger for both of you? >> definitely for me because last year i suffered from high blood pressure and cholesterol problems. >> are you off your medication now? >> totally off. >> are your friends freaking out? >> i have a best friend who helped me through the journey, too, and she's on her way and she's been an inspiration. >> you guys look so good. thank you so much. congrats. >> congratulations. happy valentine's day. >> if you guys know somebody who is a candidate for the joy luck club, you know what to do. get all of joy's helpful advice. coming up, lingerie for you, for him on valentine's day, right after this. i'll take two of those. i think it can. one of the challenges for kayla being gluten-free is actually finding choices the whole family will love. then we discovered chex cereals.

five flavors of chex are gluten-free, including the honey nut flavor, and that's amazing to a mom like me. as a parent you don't want to have to tell your kids "no" all the time. it's nice for me to be able to say "yes" to something that they want to eat. [ male announcer ] chex cereal. five flavors. gluten free. combine two pounds of potatoes and some cooking oil with a packet of hidden valley ranch, and we have a side dish that might just upstage the main -- ranch potatoes. [ male announcer ] hidden valley ranch. mix it up. for a limited time, choose any pan pizza, any size, with any of your favorite toppings for just ten dollars! the legendary pan pizza. only ten dollars.

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and enjoying it less and less? stop paying for second best. upgrade to verizon fios and get tv, internet and phone for just $99.99 a month for a year. you'll get a multi-room dvr free for 12 months. record shows ione room and watch them in up to six other rooms. call now. offer ends soon. there's no term contract required. you cacancel anytime with no early terminatiofee.

fios is a 100% fiber-optic network that delivers superior picture quality, more hd; plus the fastest internet in the u.s. why keep paying for cable? get fios tv, internet and phone for just $99.99 a month -- plus a multi-room dvr free for 12 months. don't wait. this incredible offer ends soon. call 1.866.680.fios. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities that's 1.866.680.3467. at 800-974-6006 tty/v. get the network that delivers more. get fios. a network ahead. we're back with a valentine's day fashion show. you could argue that lingerie is

a gift both men and women can enjoy, and we'll definitely be enjoying some eye candy in just a moment. >> susan aka the bra whisperer is here, along with ed from gq magazine. they picked out some lingerie that will make you say yowsa! so it's cool to give lingerie for valentine's day? >> 50% of women would rather receive lingerie than, say, flowers or chocolates. a little more permanent, a little more fun. >> we have andre and vanessa. >> this is a flirty outfit that vanessa is wearing. men like black and they like flirty things. it's a nice little outfit fun for everyone. very affordable. $83 at our boutiques. and what's so fun is she can wear this year round. >> what about the cute guy on the end there, andre? >> if you're going to wear a

bathrobe, it shouldn't look like something you stole from a day spa. and i love these boxers, they're boxers from brooks brothers. underwear is something we don't think of as aging well, but these actually get softer the more you wash them. >> where did you get the six-pack you're carrying around? >> eight-pack. >> eight-pack, yeah. >> next we have what you guys are describing as the cozy look. shantal and luke are with us. >> you have to have something romantic, something you can wear, so this is cotton. they come in chemise as well and they come in black. great for snug gling up on the couch. >> we like luke's look as well. >> pajama pants, classic boxers

from tommy hill. luke's biggest concern is what his girlfriend put in his neck right now. >> red is the color. if you don't wear red, they're not going to want it. >> we think women would like to wear red, and women like a little bit of drama, so our next model is going to be wearing -- >> it's ann marie and eduardo. >> we know that over half of all women would like to have a pretty bra and panty set. men like a demi bra, and women love to wear something pretty like this. think about it, we wear boring nude bras the rest of our life, so how awesome to wear something a little special that she can feel adorable in all day.

>> eduardo, step forward. >> these are the classic boxer briefs. you can't go wrong with these. you could buy these by the dozen. i wear thesexd every day. >> cool. >> little more information than we were asking for. >> thank you, guys. >> lastly -- >> oh, eduardo said hello to his mom. >> she's pregnant but still wants to be sexy. >> this is a stretch lace cami and boy short, and what a great gift because she can wear it afterwards as well. it's my belief that when a woman feels beautiful, she is beautiful. >> what about the spets that jay has on? >> these are sweat pants that don't make it look like you just left the gym. they're comfortable but also stylish. when the woman in your life is expecting, it's all about being

prepared. he wants to be comfortable but he also wants to run out and get a hawaiian pizza when his wife has a craving. >> sexy eduardo, his mommy wants to see him one more time. up next, lady and the tramp had it right. a sexy spaghetti meeting with the boys for valentine's day. but first, our chef of the day. with fios, when you're watching the picture, it just jumps out at you.

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on today's kitchen, we're getting saucy with an executive chef qianti. he said i'm not out to save the world, just cook dinner. if you're looking for a dinner that's simple for your sweetheart, you better pay

attention. he'll show you how to pull it off for tonight. >> we're making spaghetti and meatballs, huh? >> spaghetti and meatballs, very simple. a little onion, a little garlic, a little salt and sugar. i like to put this in. some tomato. just some canned tomato crushed up or you can put it in a food processor. a little basil. >> even hoda can make this. >> you're going to let that simmer for 35 or 40 minutes. >> what about the meatballs? >> it's a little more involved, but you can do it quickly. bread, eggs, parsley and onions and garlic. >> and you made your own croutons from bread. >> yeah, we take some old bread.

mix the bread with the eggs and the ricotta, and it just kind of incorporates everything and makes the meatball stay together. >> can you use ground turkey? does that taste okay? >> you can use it. >> but not as good. >> having wet hands and wet utensils is the best. your hands a little wet, see how it keeps them nice and smooth? we take the oil, about 375. drop it in there. >> it should have been settlese, right? >> we let that sizzle nice and golden brown. we only want it to cook for 45 seconds and then in a slow oven at 375. that's the key.

>> oh. oh. >> i was going to give one to my lovely co-host. >> thank you, sweetie. >> oh, that's spaghetti and meatballs. >> also if you want to start with a simple salad, some arugula, some vegetables. >> what kind of dressing did you put on that? >> just olive oil, balsamic and oil. some blood oranges, which are in season now. and we have a little chocolate -- >> what kind of champagne is this, did you say? >> it's kind of like a wild berry champagne cocktail. it's like a wild berry mix. >> hoda, you're going to love that. get in there and get it. >> we want to thank you very much, chef. we have the wonderful, wonderful josh grobin on the show tomorrow. >> we're also going to talk

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